Gordon Lankton, founder of Clinton’s Museum of Russian Icons, has had a hand in establishing a partnership between Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Financial University, in Moscow.

The memorandum of understanding signed by WPI Provost Eric Overstrom and Financial University Rector Mikhai Eskindarov, opens the door to regular student and faculty collaborations between the two institutions for the foreseeable future.

The agreement is the result of a long-term plan to establish a base for this productive cultural exchange and dialogue that Lankton is committed to. A member of WPI’s Board of Trustees from 1981 to 2005, Lankton is currently a WPI trustee emeritus.

His sponsorship of several WPI student projects at MRI forged academic ties with WPI. In 2011, he underwrote the cost of the pilot program of 14 WPI students and one faculty adviser, who will travel to live and work in Moscow from Aug. 25 through Oct. 17.

In February 2012, Lankton facilitated an excursion of top-level WPI administration officials to Moscow to initiate contact with Russian organizations and educational institutions, which led to the formation of the Moscow Project Center.

WPI students will be paired with Russian students from Financial University, who will function as colleagues and cultural guides. Organizers believe this partnership will help to dispel cold war cultural stereotypes, cultural barriers and also establish enhanced bonds of cooperation between Russia and the United States.